Acne is a common skin disease that results when pores get blocked and bacteria form inside them. It comes in a variety of familiar forms and affects nearly everyone at some stage, particularly in their teen years. The inflamed, red bumps that sometimes form can be painful, and even painless white pimples are unsightly.
Sebum, a natural oil, is produced in glands that are deep inside the pore, which is on the skin surface, this is what helps to protect the skin and keep it flexible. Bacteria forms inside the pores when the natural secretion process is interrupted. This is caused by pores closing - all this results in acne.
Sometimes white pimples form, this is a combination of bacteria, white blood cells and dead skin cells. The area around it becomes red and inflamed; this is caused by pus trapped inside. Pustule, more commonly referred to as pus, a type of acne, happens when the follicle wall bursts and as part of the healing process white blood cells rush in.
While it’s good to know what acne is, being able to treat it is the most important thing, we next look at who gets acne.
Acne - Who Gets Acne? The short answer to this is: nearly everyone at some stage of life.
The start of puberty typically triggers the development of acne, usually in boys at 13 and in girls at 11.
The occurrence of acne and severity is greater for males. Boys produce more androgen hormones than females, and so they tend to develop a more severe case of acne.
As a young or mature adult, it is more likely that women are affected by acne than me.
One quarter of people have acne on other parts of the body besides the face - most commonly the back and neck areas.
There is proof that there is a direct link between the monthly hormonal cycle of women and the occurrence of acne. Premenstrual related acne affected almost 44% of women between 20 and 32. Looking at the largest study done on the menstrual cycle’s effect we see that women aged 33+ have been affected even more.
Acne can appear when you are 50 or older, and can often be related to taking certain drugs, the point is, it can occur at any age. It does not just occur in teens and can be cause by various things.